1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to bicycles and is particularly directed to a retractable foot for the kickstand of a bicycle, motorcycle or the like to facilitate parking the bicycle in mud, sand and the like.
2. Prior Art
With two-wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, motorcycles and the like, it is common to provide a kickstand to facilitate parking. Conventionally, the kickstand comprises a shaft which is mounted on the frame of the vehicle and is movable between an extended position, for use in parking the vehicle, and a retracted position, wherein the kickstand provides minimal wind resistance during movement of the vehicle and is less likely to snag passing objects. Frequently, the kickstand is merely a rod or shaft which is pivotally secured to the frame of the vehicle and which lies generally parallel to the frame of the vehicle, in the retracted position, and swings downwardly and outwardly, in use, to form an angle of about 60.degree. with the vertical axis of the vehicle and to support the vehicle in a generally upright position when the outer end of the kickstand is rested on the ground. Unfortunately, when the ground surface is soft, as with mud or sand, the weight of the vehicle often causes the end of the kickstand to penetrate the ground with the result that it fails to support the vehicle and the vehicle cannot be made to stand alone. To overcome this problem, it has been proposed to provide enlarged feet mountable on the outer end of the kickstand to spread the weight of the vehicle over an area larger than that of the kickstand alone and, hence, to provide greater stability for vehicles supported thereby. However, these enlarged feet provide considerable wind resistance when the vehicle is in motion and are highly susceptible to snagging passing objects which can cause damage to the vehicle or to the object snagged and could result in serious injury to bystanders or to the rider of the vehicle.
A search in the U.S. Patent Office has revealed the following prior art:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 3,955,829 T. M. Bussler May 11, 1976 4,457,530 C. T. Johnson Jul. 3, 1984 4,521,031 R. M. Huth Jun. 4, 1985 4,625,987 B. I. Marsh Dec. 2, 1986 ______________________________________
The Bussler, Johnson and Huth patents each disclose an enlarged foot for a bicycle kickstand, substantially as described above. The Marsh patent discloses a thin, flat plate which is attached to the vehicle by means of a chain and which is intended to be placed beneath the end of the kickstand, when needed, to distribute the vehicle weight over a larger area for support on soft ground. However, when not in use, this plate will swing freely on its chain and can easily cut or snag passing objects or even the leg of the vehicle rider. Thus, none of the prior art kickstand feet have been entirely satisfactory.